282 
NATURE 
a 
[ Fan. 18, 1883 
Museum of La Rochelle, by P. J. Van Beneden.—On some 
uniform geometric transformations, by C. Le Paige.—Second 
notice on the comet, by F. Terby.—On the functions of M. 
Prym and M. Hermite, by A. Genocchi.—On glycogen in 
Mucorinee, by L. Errera. 
Fournal ce Physique, December, 1882.—Remarks on timbre, 
by M. Kcenig.—Remarks on the critical state, by M. Stolatow. 
—Experimental study of the reflection of actinic rays ; influence 
of specular polish, by M de Chardonnet.—Note on the theory 
of the Laurent saccharimeter with white light, by M. Dufet.— 
Notes of science in 77 Nuovo Cimento and the Fournal of the 
Russian Physico-Chemical Society. 
Rivista Scientifico-Industriale e Giornale del Naturalista, 
October 31, and November 15 and 30, 1882.—Inconveniences 
of the usual pluviometer, and a few words about the pluvio- 
pulverometer, an apparatus for rain, dew, and atmospheric dust, 
by P. I.ancetta.—Non-sensitive mercury thermometer ; demon- 
stration of the princip’e of the telephone, by G. Guvi.—A doe 
with hairy horns.—Review of a prize memoir by G. Poloni, on 
the permanent magnetism of steel at different temperatu:es, by 
A. W.—Double-action mercury air-pump, by G. Serraville.— 
Fundamental principle of electrostatics, by S. Mugna.—Male 
genital armatures of saltatory Orthoptera, by A. Tozzetti.— 
Brief notice of the fluoriferovs vuleanoes of Campania, by A. 
Scacchi. 
Reale Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere.  Rendiconti. 
Vol. xxv , fase. xvili—On a recent landslip near Belluno, by 
T. Taramelli.—On drunkenness in Milan, IJ., by A. Verga.— 
Jacobi’s theorem regarding periodicity, and the illegitimacy of 
a part of the consequnces that have been deduced from it, by 
F. Casorati. 
Nouv.aux Mémoires de la Sociéé Helvetique des Sciences 
Naturelles, vol. xxviii., 2nd part.—The Diluvium round Paris 
ard its position in the Pleistecene, by A. Rothpletz. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LONDON 
Mathematical Society, January 11.—Prof. Henrici, F.R.S., 
president, in the chair.—Messrs. H. T. Gerrans and W. L. 
Mollison were elected members.—Dr. Hirst, F.R.S., spoke on 
the resclution of congruences into systems of quadric reguli; 
Mr. Glaisher, F.R.S., discussed the solution of a differential 
equation allied to Riccati’s; and Mr. Tucker communicated a 
paper by Prof. Cayley, F.R.S., on the automorphic transforma- 
tion of a binary cubic function. 
Zoological Society, December 19, 1882.—Prof. W. H. 
Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., president, in the chair.—Mr. Sclater 
exhibited some photographs of a new Zebra, from Skoa, lately 
named Lguus grevyi, by M. A. Milne-Edwards, F.M.Z.S., 
which had been sent to him by that gentleman, and pointed out 
the difference which separated this animal from the nearly allied 
£. zebra,—The Rev. H. H. Slater, F.Z.S., exhibited and made 
remarks on the skin of a Shrike (Zamius sp. inc.) which had 
been obtained near Spurn Point, Yorkshire.—lhe Secretary 
exhibited, on behalf of Lord Lilford, the skin of a young male 
Emberiza rustica, which had been taken at Elstree Reservoir on 
November 19 last. Only one other example of this bird had 
hitherto been recorded as having been met with in Great Britain. 
—Dr, Giinther exhibited, on behalf of Sir Campbell Orde, 
Bart., a specimen of a Charr (Sa/mo alpinus), obtained ina loch 
in North Uist, being the first example ever obtained in this loch. 
—Mr. P. H. Carpenter exhibited and made remarks on some 
microscopical preparations of Axtedon eschrichti, in which a ner- 
vous plexus derived from the fibrillar envelope of the chambered 
organ was visible at the sides of the ambulacra of the disk.— 
Prof. Flower exhibited a photograph (presented to the Society 
by Mr. James Farmer, F.Z.S.) of Seal Point, Farallone Islands, 
off the coast of California, showing the immense number of 
Seals (O¢aria gillespit, M‘Baiu) frequenting that lccality. —Prof. 
Flower read a paper on the whales of the genus Hyferoodon, in 
which he pointed out that one of the most important points in 
the history of these animals yet unsolved was whether the large- 
headed form, with great development of the maxillary crests, 
called by Dr. J. E. Gray Lagenocetus latifrons, was a distinct 
species, or whether, as suspected by Eschricht, it was the adult 
male of the common form known as Hyferoodon rostratus. The 
author had asked Capt. David Gray to avail himself of his ex- 
ceptionally favourable opportunities of observing these animals 
in their native haunts, to solve this question, with the result 
shown in the next communication.—A communication was read 
from Capt. David Gray, :s. Fclipse, called ‘“‘Notes on the 
Characters and Habits cf the Bottlenose Whale (/yferodoon),” 
in which it was stated that he had killed 203 of these animals 
last season, and had traced in the males every gradation of 
development between the two forms, and had therefore conclu- 
sively proved that Hyferoodon or Lagenocetus latifrons had no 
existence as a distinct species. The communication was illus- 
trated by sketches and photographs, showing the external cha- 
raeters and cranium in various stages of growth.—Mr. P. H. 
Carpenter read a paper on the classification of the Comatule. 
He criticised the method of formulation recently proposed 
by Prof. F. J. Bell, and pointed out its disadvantages for 
the purposes of classification, owing to its being inapplic- 
able to those Comatu/e which have irregular arm-diyisions. 
He explained his own system of formulation and classifica- 
tion, and stated that he believed it to be capable of deal- 
ing with all possible variations of Cometula structure.—Mr. 
F. Day read a paper on the identity of Arnoglossus lophotes, 
Gthr., with Pleuronectes srohmanni, Bonap. A second paper by 
Mr. Day contained remarks on some hybrids between Salmon 
and Trout.—A paper by Messrs. Godman and Salvin was read, 
describing some Butterflies from New Ireland, received from 
the Rey. G. Brown and Mr. E. L. Layard. Among these were 
examples of two new species, named respectively Prothoe 
layardi and Danaius adustus.—Mr. Oldfield Thomas read a 
paper conta ning descriptions of two new species of Fruit-Bats 
of the genus Ptevepfus from the Caroline Islands. The author 
proposed to call them Preropus phaocephalus and Pt, breviceps.— 
A communication was read from Major G. F. L. Marshall, 
F.Z.S., containing some notes on Asiatic Butterflies. A species 
of Amecera was mentioned as new to the Beluchistan fauna, 
and three species were described as new to science.—Mr, G. A. 
Boulenger read the description of a new species of Lizard from 
Dacotah, based upon some specimens lately presented to the 
Society’s collection by Mr. S. Garman, of the Museum of Com- 
parative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., and proposed to name it 
Sceloporus garmant.—Mr. Arthur G. Butler read a paper in 
which he gave an account of a collection of Spiders made by the 
Rev. Deans Cowan in Madagascar. In addition to many inte- 
esting and singular forms were specimens cf the curious tailed 
species Arvachnoura scorpionoides trom Central Madagascar. Six 
new species were described.—Mr. W. N. Parker read a paper 
on some points in the anatomy of the Indian Ta, ir.—Mr. 
Herbert Druce read a paper descriptive of new species of Moths 
chiefly from Western Africa and New Guinea. Fifteen new 
species were described, as was also a new genus of Chalcosiide 
from New Guinea. 
Geological Society, December 20, 1882.--J. W. ‘Hulke, 
F.R.S., president, in the chair.—Percival Fowler, Alfred Eley 
Preston, and Robert Blake White, were elected Fellows of the 
Society. —The following communications were read :—On generic 
characters in the order Sauropterygia, by Prof. Owen, C.B., 
F.R.S. After referring to the subdivision of De La Beche’s 
group of Enaliosauria into the orders Ichthyopterygia and 
Sauropterygia, the author indicated that the latter showed 
differences in the proportional length of the neck and the 
number and form of its vertebrae bearing relation to the size of 
the head, together with modifications of the teeth, of the sterao- 
coraco-scapular frame and of the paddle-bones, leading to the 
formation of two genera, namely, Plestosaurus and Pliosaurus, 
the latter so-called to indicate the nearer approach made by it to 
a generalised Saurian type. In Crocodilia the crowns of the 
teeth show a yair of strong enamel ridges, placed on opposite 
sides of the teeth, and these occur also in Pliosaurus ; while in 
Plestosaurus they are not present. Pliosaurus further ap; roaches 
the fresh-water Saurians by the large size of the head and the 
shortness of the neck.—On the origin of valley-lakes, mainly 
with reference to the lakes of the Northern Alps, by the Rev. A. 
Irving, B.A., B.Sc., F.G.S. The author, having given reasons for 
considering this question, still an open one, proceeded to criticise 
Prof. Ramsay’s theory as it was expounded by him in 1862. The 
author preceeded to show that the lakes of the Northern Alps 
are found, as a rule, just among those strata where subsidence 
would be most likely to occur. In this way it was shown that 
we are not shut up, by Prof. Ramsay’s reasoning, to the hypo- 
thesis of e/acial excavation. Further, other agencies than those 
discussed by Prof. Ram:ay may have co-operated to form lakes, 
